Supporters hopeful as DOE, EPA finalize Energy Star transition plan

The Energy Star label, which helps you spot efficient appliances, windows, and other home products, is changing hands within the federal government. On August 28, the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency finalized a plan to shift day-to-day management of Energy Star from EPA, which has run it since the early 1990s, to DOE, over the next 12 months. The two agencies will work through the handoff in stages covering knowledge, legal authority, and data systems, meeting every two weeks at first.

The move follows an attempt by the Trump administration to eliminate the program's funding last year. Congress stepped in and funded Energy Star at $33 million for this fiscal year and required the administration to actually spend it. Two months later, the administration announced the shift to DOE. The new transition plan says both agencies are committed to keeping the program funded and staffed, and it lays out how unspent money from this year, and any future funding Congress approves, will move from EPA to DOE without a gap in support.

For homeowners, none of this changes what the Energy Star label means or how you use it right now — it still marks efficient appliances and equipment. Industry groups say they're optimistic DOE can run the program well, partly because of its experience with a separate efficiency partnership program for commercial buildings. The main open question raised is whether DOE can match EPA's outreach and name recognition with the public going forward.